The 2007 NRMA Insurance Neighbourhood Survey showed Brisbane households were less likely than city slickers in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth to know the names of the people next door.
NRMA Insurance State Manager Brett Robinson has called on Brisbane residents to make the time this weekend to say g'day.
"Across Australia, around 10 per cent of households confessed they didn't know any of their neighbours by name," he said.
"Surprisingly, in Brisbane, close to 20 per cent of city dwellers couldn't name their neighbours. With many people moving to Brisbane each week and many people living in apartments, we may not be making the effort we once did to get to know our neighbours."
Despite Brisbane slipping below the national average for knowing the neighbour, Mr Robinson said there was some good news.
"Even if we don't know our neighbour's names, we still have good intentions, with most Brisbane residents happy to keep an eye on the neighbour's house and collect the mail and newspapers if they're away."
Mr Robinson said beyond building a sense of community, there were a number of home security benefits in knowing your neighbour.
"NRMA Insurance claims data shows most burglaries happen when no-one is home, so vigilant and trustworthy neighbours can help keep an eye on your place while you're away," he said.
Beyond getting to know your neighbour, NRMA Insurance offers five top tips to help protect your home:
- lock the house every time you go out, or if spending long periods in the yard
- don't leave packaging for expensive items in view
- keep your home looking lived in when you're not there - open blinds, use timer switches on lights and have mail collected
- never leave a message on your answering machine saying you're away
- keep your car keys somewhere safe so home burglars don't also steal your car
* Research conducted by Woolcott Research for NRMA Insurance using the OmniAccess Consumer service, a fortnightly Australian national omnibus survey that covers 1,000 adults aged 16 years and over, including both capital city and non-capital city areas. [October, 2007].
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